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THE 



PLANTER'S GUIDE 



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Curing 1 ' 



ULTIVATING AND V_^URING 1 OBACCO ; 



INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS 



CONCERNINO THE 



Shelton Tobacco-Hangei^^ 



PREPARED BY THE SHELTON TOBACCO-CURING COMPANY OFASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. 
AND PUBLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OF THE UNITED STATES. 



WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
1876. 



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THE 



PLANTER^S GUIDE 



(cultivating and C^URING 1 OBACCO 



IXFORMATIOX AXD INSTRUCTIONS 



CO.N'CERXING THE 



Shelton Tobacco-H. 



rREPAREn BY TTTE SHELTON TOTiACCO-CURING COMPANY OF ASlTEVfttET NORTH CAROLINA, 
AND PUBLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICfLTURE OF THE UNITED STATES. 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
1876. 



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Ccr^1>^A?> 






INTRODUCTION 



In view of the increasing production of tobacco, the Department of Agri- 
culture has aciopted the following guide for its cultivation and cure, as the 
best which has come to its notice, and publishes it for the benefit of agricul- 
turists to whom the subject is new. 

"Shelton's Tobacco-Hanger" seems to be a convenient mode for the first 
process of gathering and drying, but the descrijjtion, as contained in the 
pamphlet, is obscure, and may be thus explained; The long, black lines are 
supported by forked sticks driven in the ground, and are but the frame-work 
'which supports the sticks upon which the leaves of the tobacco are hung; and 
they may be of any desirable length, and two feet apart is a convenient position ; 
the sticks and wire upon which the tobacco is hung are placed upon, and from 
one to the other of these, at convenient distances apart. Why there should 
be so many tables, as represented in the drawing, I do not readily perceive; 
but the operator will soon learn to adapt this to his own convenience. 

Tobacco, at"ter it is removed tVom the field, is either dried by artificial heat 
or exposure to the air under a roof; for while dews of the night, or even a 
shower of rain, after it is put upon the frame, are not decidedly injurious to it, 
yet it is better that it should be cured without wet. This is a subject of which 
the pamphlet does not treat. 



Di'partmcut of A^rkultuir, Maixh. 1876. 



FRED'K WATTS, 

Commissioner. 



THE PLANTER'S GUIDE FOR CULTIVATING AND 
CURING TOBACCO. 



CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO. 

The cultivation of tobacco in the United States has become so extensive as 
to embrace at least forty-two States and Territories, which produce an annual 
crop of about three hundred million pounds, with a value to the producers of 
at least forty million dollars. 

Therefore it is a matter of great importance to the planter how to cultivate 
and prepare it for market in the best manner and at the least possible ex- 
pense. 

After making careful observations, we believe that tobacco, with skillful cul- 
ture and management, is the most remunerative of any crop grown, and a 
poor business if grown and handled without the application of those principle's 
and appliances which extensive experience has proved to be the best adapted 
to the end desired. 

VARIETIES OF TOBACCO. 

Loudon enumerates fourteen different species of tobacco, of which only one, 
the Nicotiaiia Tabaceu?n, is generally cultivated. Of this species there are 
many varieties, each possessing qualities supposed to be derived from climate, 
soil, and modes of cultivation. 

Few, if any, plants are so much affected by the peculiarities of the soil on 
which it is grown, by circumstances of fertilization and mode of curing, as 
tobacco. For example, the Broad-Leaf Orinoco, when cultivated on the rich 
and highly-manured lands of Kentucky, produces the dark, strong-flavored 
"shipping tobacco;" and when grown on the light gray soil of Virginia or 
North Carolina, with but little or no manure, and cured in a close barn with 
artificial heat, will produce the bright "wrappers" for which these States are 
so famous. 

The variety known as Connecticut Seed-Leaf is grown principally in Massa- 
chusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and is used in the 
manufacture of cigars, both for fillers and wrappers. Florida, portions of Ohio, 
Pennsylvania, and other States produce the Cuba, which is also used in the 
manufacture of cigars. Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky Ten 



nessee, Missouri, and other States cultivate many varieties, prominent among 
which are the Big and Little Orinoco, (or Broad and Narrow Leaf Orinoco,) 
Big and Little Frederick, Blue and Yellow Pryor, Big Stem, White Stem, 
Gooch, and numerous other kinds that bear different names in dififerent locali- 
ties; and, though mostly hybrids, they each possess some good qualities which 
recommend them to the growers. 

SEED. 

AA'hatever the variety cultivated, it is very important that you have good 
seed for sowing. In order to secure this hereafter, a kw of the earliest and 
most promising plants should be selected from the seed-bed, transplanted in 
some favorable spot, and carefully attended throughout the season. Li time, 
these should be pruned of all except the large leaves, and only the two topmost 
branches left to bloom. These plants should be carefully suckered, and about 
the first of October every pod not thoroughly ripe jjlucked off and thrown 
away, and the others gathered and put in a dry place to cure. When dry, the 
seed should be rubbed out, sifted, and placed m a dry vessel, and kept where 
no dampness can reach them. Seed preserved in this manner will keep for 
years. By giving a little extra attention to your seed-plants, you can increase 
the yield and improve the quality of your tobacco. 

SELECTIOX AND PREPARATION OF PLANT-BEDS. 

In selecting a place for plant-beds, remember that you wish to obtain car/y 
and 7'i^(rroiis plants ; therefore, take a rich, warm hillside, protected by timber 
or otherwise. Red lands are usually unsuited for this purpose. Never use wet 
or cold land. After finding a suitable place, select a dry time during the 
month of December or January, the sooner the better, rake off the leaves, lay 
down skids (about 3 inches in diameter) 3 feet apart, across which lay a bed of 
wood 5 or 6 feet wide, and high enough to burn for about an hour and a half, 
and yet leave a sufficient quantity to remove and kindle in another place. 

After the fire has burned the length of time specified, move it the width of 
the first layer, then throw on brush, a good bed of wood, and continue as 
before. Every f;;irmer ought to provide himself with iron hooks for pulling 
plant-bed fires. If it is possible to Injure land by hard burning, we have never 
experienced it; and think that where one bed is injured by burning, ten are 
injured for the want of it. For every ten thousand plants required, there 
ought to be at least ten yards square of plant-bed. A bed of this size will 
supply more than the number mentioned, but it is much better to ho^e some 
or your neighbor than to be under the necessity of begging plants. 

After burning, the land should remain untouched a few weeks, that the rains 



and frosts may assist in pulverizing the soil; then with a mattock dig up the 
bed without turning it over, and pulverize thoroughly with a hoe and rake. 
Remove all the roots, spread a light coating of stable-manure, chop it in, rake 
again, and the bed is ready for sowing. A large tablespoonful of seed to the 
ten yards square is enough to sow. This should be carefully mixed with sifted 
ashes, about half of it sown one way, and the other half by walking across 
the first sowing. By this the seed will be more regularly distributed. After 
seeding, the land should be rolled or trodden until it is smooth. Now is the 
time to manure. We consider horse-manure collected under cover (and free 
from litter or grass-seed) to be the best for this purpose. Chop it fine, and 
spread a coating (say half an inch or more) evenly over the bed. This should 
be the last manuring unless the spring is very dry, when a light top-dressing 
occasionally will be beneficial. 

As to the use of guano on plant-beds, we are not prepared to recommend 
it as highly as stable-manure. AVe will add that, in the absence of this manure, 
a light dressing of plaster will be of service; but if you have good stable- 
manure, "let well enough alone;" for if these directions as to land and manage- 
ment are followed, there is about as much chance to fail in plants as to fail of 
going to sleep at night after a hard day's work burning land. 

About three weeks after sowing, the bed should again be rolled or trodden, 
and covered with fine brush-twigs to prevent its drying up, and protect it from 
the frost. The brush should not be removed until the plants are large enough 
to nearly cover the ground. 

There are few circumstances under which a plant-bed in the right locality, 
well burned and manured, should be watered. We are disposed to think that 
watering is useless unless the spring is very dry. 

PREPARATION OF NEW LAND. 

First take up every growth not too large to grub, and thro>v them into heaps. 
Then cut the small trees, the brush of which throw on the grub-heaps; then 
cut and remove the larger timber. After the ground has been cleaned oft", it 
should be coultered at least three times; then harrow and rake it to pulverize 
the soil and remove the roots. It should now be laid oft" at a distance of three 
feet each way and hilled. The hilling is very important, as a plow in new land 
will not prepare it right, and "whatever is worth doing is worth doing well." 
The manuring of new land, though troublesome, pays well. 

We would recommend it to be applied in the hill if the land is rough, as 
broadcast will waste much of it the first year. Thin ridge-land will produce a 
beautiful crop with a tablespoonful of guano to the hill. The second year it 



8 

may be manured as other land; for if the first year's work is well done, it will 
be prepared to receive manure broadcast. New land should be hilled at least 
three weeks before transplanting, and while the land is moist, so that the soi 
will become compact enough to retain moisture, that the plant may thrive 
without rain after being set out. 

PREPARATION OF OLD LAND. 

A gray, gravelly soil, with manure, will make a fine article of tobacco if the 
manure is properly applied. 

On common corn-land, the application of two hundred pounds of Peruvian 
guano per acre (or other equally good fertilizer) applied broadcast, will insure 
a fine crop; but if the present crop is the object, it may be made with one- 
half this quantity applied in the hill. 

We have succeeded well by the application of guano in drills. After the 
land has been thoroughly plowed, lay it off in rows three feet apart, and 
in these strew the fertilizer. Plow on each side of the rows (turning the fur- 
rows in) to cover the manure, and form continuous beds, which sliould after- 
ward be nicely hilled. We think all upland should be hilled. About one 
hundred and twenty pounds of guano is enough per acre when drilled. Land 
for raising shipping tobacco should be more heavily manured; say for an acre 
six or eight cords of manure spread broadcast and plowed under, and in 
addition from two to four hundred pounds of some good fertilizer applied in 
drills. Ashes is a superior fertilizer for tobacco of any kind on any soil. In 
the Northern and Middle States, where lands are high and the seasons short, 
the growers of tobacco resort to a system of high manuring, for the purpose 
of forcing the plants to mature and increasing their production. With them 
it is quite common to apply ten or twelve cords of stable-manure, and, in 
addition to this, from two to five hundred pounds of guano, per acre, 

TRANSPLANTING. 

When the plants are four or five inches high in the beds, they are ready to be 
set out in the hills. As a rule, we prefer a medium-sized plant, because the 
larger the plant the more moisture and sustenance it requires; and the small 
plant is safer, but not so far advanced as the medium or larger one. 

After giving that part of the bed from which you wish to remove plants a 
thorough soaking with water, for the purpose of softening the soil to prevent 
the breaking-off of the finer roots, remove the plants carefully, and wash or 
shake oft" all the plant-bed soil in order to give them a fresh, free start in the 
new soil. Take great care of them, and do not place so many together that 



they will be crushed or bruised, nor keep them out of the ground until the 
tender roots dry up, but take them at once to the field, and drop one on each 
hill, to be followed immediately by the planter, who should take hold of it near 
the roots with the thumb and forefinger of the left hand,_and with the right 
hand smooth down, or, in other words, straighten out, the roots. Then, with 
a peg about six inches long, make a hole in the center of the hill large enough 
to admit the roots without their touching on the sides ; also make it deep 
enough to take in the longest roots without bending them. 

Put in the plant carefully as deep as the bud; then, with the peg and thumb 
of the left hand, press the soil firmly to the roots, and draw the earth around 
the plant so as to fill the entire hole. The best time to transfer the plants 
from the bed to the hills is when the soil is moist, but not so wet as to cause 
it to bake around the roots and kill them, or prevent their getting an early 
start. If the season is very dry, before setting out take the dry earth from the 
tops of the hills, set the plants late in the day, giving them the benefit of the 
night dew, and before the dew has dried oft^ in the morning cover them with 
straw, brush, leaves, or anything suitable. 

This covering should remain until rain foils or until the plants get a 
good start. This we consider the best plan that can be adopted under these 
circumstances. We do not approve of watering, because it has a tendency to 
make the soil bake, as mentioned above ; but when it becomes necessary, from 
a continued drought, after watering the hill, cover the spot with dry earth, and 
it will tend to prevent baking. 

REPLANTING. 

""Jdiis should be attended to as soon as you are satisfied the plant is weak or 
has failed, because you should have as little difference in the growth of your 
plants as possible. By exercising proper care in the first planting, you will 
have but little replanting to do. We believe that cramped and crooked roots, 
air admitted to the roots by careless planting, and the bruising and crushing 
of plants by rough handling, are nearly, if not quite, all the causes of a poor 
" stand," providing the land has been properly prepared and is in good condi- 
tion at the time of planting. 

CUT-WORMS. 

Soon after setting out the plants, look sharp for long black or brown worms, 
which burrow in the hills and destroy the plants. Unearth and kill them every 
morning as long as they can be found. They seldom trouble new land to any 
great extent. The best time and method we know of for destroying them is 
to plow up the land during the winter and /nr::e them. 



10 

CULTIVATION OF NEW LAND. 

The main secret is to keep it clean and well stirred. In new land, this may 
be done by two good workings in the proper time, though a third working will 
often be very beneficial. If the land is freshly hilled, about two weeks after 
planting the hills should be scraped down, and a little fresh earth drawn around 
each plant. About three weeks after this, it should be hilled up, and in ordi- 
nary cases this will be sufficient, except to keep dovvn the sprouts that may put 
up. Tobacco ought not to be worked after topping, as it will bruise and break 
the leaves. Plowing smooth new land once (at the last working) is of service ; 
but if it is rough and stumpy, keep a plow out of it altogether. 

CULTIVATION OF OLD LAND. 

Old land requires more work than new. As soon as the plants get sufficient 
hold, narrow up your cultivator, so as not to disturb the roots, and go through 
it once for the first hoeing. Then cut up the remaining grass and weeds with 
a hoe, and level the soil around the plants, stirring it slightly. In ten days or 
a fortnight, go over it again with a plow or cultivator, twice in a row, using a 
short singletree, to avoid injuring the plants. This time you can stir the ground 
more freely around the plants, and should hill them slightly in hoeing, being 
careful not to cover any of the leaves. After this, it is better to perform all the 
work with hand labor, in order to save the plants from injury. Stir the ground 
with a hoe as often as necessary to keep down the weeds. 

WORMING. 

If the worms are numerous, the plants should be thoroughly examined at 
least twice a week. Destroy not only the worms, but all the eggs that can be 
found; or, what is still better, seek out and destroy the flies which deposit 
these eggs. These flies are gray in color, with yellow spots on each side of 
the body, and may be found about sunset flitting about the weeds and flowers, 
extracting their juices by means of their peculiar tongue, which is four or five 
inches in length. The Jamestown weed, or "Jimson" weed, as it is com- 
monly called, which bears a white, bell-shaped blossom, is very attractive to 
these flies. Many of them may be destroyed by dropping a little of the fol- 
lowing mixture into these blossoms : One ounce of cobalt, dissolved in one pint of 
water and swcetoied li'itJi some kind of synip. But this is equally as fatal to 
the blossoms as to the flies; therefore we give you the following instructions 
for making an artificial substitute, which will prove to be more durable than 
the natural flower, and quite as efteciive. The ladies can best perform this 
work, as they happily possess more taste and skill in such matters. 



11 

Procure for their use a quire of white paper and a bottle of mucilage. Then 
make a small block of suitable size and shape, on which to form the cone, and 
furnish them with a natural tlower to imitate. If you have no blossom of the 
Jamestown weed, let them try their powers of imitation in making a "morn- 
ing-glory." After forming the cone, clip it around the rim and curl slightly, 
to make it look as much like a flower as possible. Attach them to branches 
or brushes, and place them in your thickest growth of tobacco. They should 
be supi)]ied with a few drops of the poison every evening, and it may be neces- 
sary to replace the flowers after a heavy rain. By following the above instruc- 
tions, you will save much trouble in worming. A flock of turkeys will also be 
found very useful in catching and destroying worms, and can only be equaled 
by children to whom premiums have been oftered. 

TOPriNG. 

This operation consists in taking off" the top of the [jlant, and must be done 
for the purpose of concentrating the strength of the land in such number of 
leaves as will best mature. 

It should be performed as soon as the seed-buds show themselves. 

No rule can be given which will apply to all cases, as much depends on the 
variety grown, the condition of the soil, and whether your crop is Avell 
advanced or otherwise. With an early crop on rich soil, do not take oft" more 
than one or two of the top leaves, if any at all ; while, on the contrary, if your 
soil is poor and crop late, top down to that number of leaves which, accordin^^ 
to your judgment, will fully ripen. The number of leaves to be left on the 
plant varies, in dift'erent sections and under dift'erent circumstances, from cis;ht 
to twenty. 

PRIMING. 

This consists in removing the lower leaves of the plant to the height of five 
or six inches from the ground ; these are removed for two reasons: first, if 
allowed to remain, they will be made worthless by coming in contact with the 
soil; second, to improve the quality of the remaining leaves, as in topping. 
Do not commence priming until the principal part of your topping is done ; 
then continue it regularly, and save every leaf with as much care as if it were 
gold. Though light in weight, you will get some as fine tobacco from these 
primings as any in your crop, and it is simply folly to throw them away. 

SUCKERING. 

The suckers are small leaves that start from the base of the larger ones after 
the plant has been topped. They make their appearance at the top first, and 



12 

should be continually nipped off as f^ast as they become large enough to get 
hold of; otherwise they will retard the growth and prevent the early maturing 
of the plant. 

REMARKS. 

We have described the operations of worming, topping, priming, and sucker- 
ing, separately and in the regular order in which they first appear; but they 
cannot be wholly performed and finally disposed of in the same manner. 

Soon after you commence worming, the buds make their appearance and 
claim their share of your attention; then follow the priming and suckering. 
The first suckers will appear in about a week after topping, and will afterward 
require plucking two or three times in the same number of weeks. 

The worming must still be attended to. Thus it will be seen that two or 
more of these are continued operations and can be performed in connection 
with each other. To the experienced tobacco-grower, much that we have 
written in the way of explanation may seem altogether needless; but our 
intention is to embody, in this pamphlet, all the practical information needed 
by new beginners, together with valuable hints to all tobacco-growers. 



CONSTRUCTING BARNS. 

SIZE OF RARNS. 

For coal or flue curing, we believe in small barns, as the heat can be more 
evenly distributed in them. The old barns (i6 x i6 inside) used in the old 
process will answer the purpose ; though if the barn is to be built, we recom- 
mend it to be not more than four tiers high, placing the lower tier-poles eight 
feet from the ground, and the height between the tiers about the .average 
length of the leaves you grow. Small farmers might build even smaller ones 
say of that size which the force they work can fill in one or two days, calcu- 
lating the hangers five inches apart, and a "hand" to fill one hundred hang- 
ers per day. 

MATERIALS. 

Logs, well " chinked " and " daubed " with clay, inside and out, are prob- 
ably the best materials for walls ; but in localities where they cannot be readily 
procured, any construction which can be made to hold the heat will answer. 
"Adobe," or bricks dried in the sun, (made of clay and a small quantity of 
straw mixed to prevent them from cracking,) will make a good wall. For 
tier-poles, use either straight poles or sawed lumber 2x4; arrange them to 
extend from back to front, and do this while building the walls, if made of 



13 

logs or adobe. The roof can be made of any material which will retain the 
heat. The doorway should be in the middle of the wall, (six feet high and 
four feet wide,) and to extend to the ground or floor; furnish it with a good 
close shutter or door. 

FLUES. 

In the construction of flues, stone of any kind that will not burst or crumble 
wlien exposed to the heat, brick or sheet-iron covered with mortar, cement, or 
clay, to receive and deliver a steady heat, are the principal materials used. 

As applied to a tobacco-barn, they usually consist of two furnaces built 
inside, (near the right and left front corners as you enter,) with the ends pro- 
jecting through the walls far enough to allow the feed-doors to open from the 
outside. Connected with these, on the inside, are funnels or passages, sixteen 
or eighteen inches in diameter, which extend around three sides of the barn, 
(about two feet from the walls,) and serve to distribute the heat evenly, and 
convey the smoke to the chimney or outlet. This chimney, or stem, as 
commonly arranged, is situated at the center of the rear wall, where the pipes 
or flues meet and join it. 

Extend the chimney through the wall, and far enough beyond to prevent 
all danger from sparks. In order to insure a good draught, the chimney 
should be about four inches higher than the mouth of the furnace. There are 
patent flues in use which have given very good satisfaction, and we advise 
those who intend curing with flues to examine them before building the com- 
mon flue. 

HOUSES FOR AIR-CURING, 

The drying-house should be so constructed as to allow the free circulation 
of air among the leaves, and protect them, when necessary, from the direct 
action of the sun, wind, and rain. Any building will answer the purpose which 
has a good roof, and windows and air-holes enough to regulate the circula- 
tion. 

In erecting a building especially for this purpose, place a ventilator on the 
roof, and board the sides of the house perpendicularly, hanging every other 
board on hinges. 

The inside should be divided by poles or timbers into " rooms," to accom- 
modate the length of your sticks, and also into tiers, one above the other, about 
two feet apart, more or less, according to the length of the leaves grown. 

Before proceeding to the gathering and curing of the crop, we call your 
attention to the Tobacco-Han ;?er. 



TOBACCO-HANGER 

[Patented April 6, 1S75.] 

By Samuel C. Shei.ton. 



This device is especially adapted to curing the leaves by gathering from the 
stalk, when fully ripe, and stringing them on the wire-attachment, thereby 
avoiding the splitting, cutting, transporting, and curing of the stalk. 

Every experienced tobacco-grower realizes more fully each year that he is 
handling at heavy expense, and material injury to the leaf, a stalk entirely 
worthless as a commodity; and, while readily admitting the fact, he has still 
continued to follow the old and universal plan of curing, for want of some- 
thing better. 

We now present a device by which he can cure the gathered leaves alone, 
and let the stalk remain in the field to enrich the land. 

We will enumerate some of the advantages gained by its use: 

First. Economy of room. By putting a larger quantity on a hanger and an 
increased number of hangers in a barn, you are enabled to cure at least four 
times the usual quantity in the same barn. 

Second. It takes less time and less heat to cure this four times as much than 
one house full by the old process. 

Third. It takes less time to gather and prepare it for market. 

Fourth. In curing, it saves at least three-fourths of the coal or fuel, and as 
much in time. 

Fifth. It saves all the trouble of stripping after it is cured and one-half the 
trouble in assorting. 

Sixth. It enables you to employ cheap labor in gathering, thereby saving 
nearly one-half the usual expense. 

Seventh. It saves the tearing and bruising of the leaves, and useless weight 
consequent upon the presence of the stalk. 

Eighth. It allows you to save the leaves as they ripen, and let the green 
ones remain to mature. 

Ninth. It saves evoy leaf in the crop, and leaves no waste or rubbi.sh. 

Tenth. There is much less danger of injury from '"running," on account of 
the absence of the stalk. 



16 

Eleventh. It improves the quahty and increases the weight by preventing 
the sap from forcing the oil, gum, or other valuable properties of the leaf back 
into the stalk. 

Twelfth. It enables the planter to cure his tobacco thorough /y, and greatly 
improves the color and texture. 

By the use of this hanger in air-curing, all of these advantages are gained, 
except the saving of fuel; and for this claim we substitute one of vast import- 
ance to all who cure their tobacco in this manner, which is, the avoidance of 
" pole-sweat," or rotting of the stem and leaf while curing. 

PREPARATIONS FOR CURING ON THE SHELTON HANGER. 

This device is made either by attaching wire to the sticks now in use, or to 
Others made for the purpose. 

Cut the wire the length of the stick, and attach it at the center, either by 
giving it one turn around the stick, or passing it through a hole made with a 
brad-awl, and giving it two or three twists, leaving the wire parallel with the 
stick, with the ends in opposite directions. The wire may be attached to any 
part of the stick, though we recommend attaching it at the center. 

SCAFFOLD. 

When ready to commence "priming," or gathering your crop, erect a scaf- 
fold near the barn, on which to hang the tobacco after it is strung. This may 
be constructed of poles, scantling, or other material, and supported by forked 
sticks or horses. These poles should be the same distance apart as those in 
the barn. A barn i6 x i6, with four "rooms," six full tiers and a roof tier, will 
contain one thousand hangers filled with tobacco. A scaffold may be built to 
hold this number or less, as the tobacco can be removed to the barn whenever 
the scaftbld is full. 

GATHERING THE CROP. 

If the plant is fully ripe, remove all the leaves at once, keeping the stems 
together, and transport them to the scaffold with a sled, wagon, barrow, basket, 
or in any way most convenient. 

When a plant is only partially ripe, if you desire to make a fine, uniform 
crop, remove only the ripe leaves, leaving the others to mature. 

When the leaves are about ripe, they present a spotted appearance and be- 
come brittle. By bending them short, they will break before doubling. 

PREPARATIONS FOR STRINGING. 

Support the hangers on two upright posts or sticks, having notches in the 
ends to keep the hangers in position. Place two hangers parallel with each 



17 



other, and two feet apart; then construct a table or bench, about four feet in 
length and two in width, near each end of the hangers. The following diagram 
illustrates the scaffold, hangers, tables, and position of operators: 



Q 



ll.<»«Mlwil»iliM«,»Mmuw 

o 



Operator. 

/ 
© Hanger. 



O 
00 



L I 



STRINGING THE LEAVES. 

As the leaves are brought from the field, place them on the tables with the 
stems, or butts, toward the operators; string them by passing the end of the 
wire through the stems; let the first leaf hang on one side of the stick, the 
second on the opposite side, and the third on the same side as the first. 

Continue in this manner until the stick is full, allowing sufficient space at the 
ends to rest on the tier-poles. 

We have strung and cured from one hundred and twenty to one hundred 
and thirty leaves on a single hanger; but would not recommend stringing 
more than one hundred average leaves on a four-foot hanger, as they will cure 
in less time and with less heat than a larger number. 

Two persons can string on one hanger at the same time. As soon as a 
hanger is filled, place it on the scaffold, and proceed with another in the same 
manner. An ordinary "hand" will string one hundred hangers per day, while 
a more active person, with little experience, will string one hundred and twenty- 
five or upward. 

CURING "'GOLD LEAF." 

The bright, lemon-colored tobacco used for fancy wrappers should be cured 
with charcoal or flues. The finest quality of this is raised in Virginia, North 
Carolina, and portions of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri, and is cured in 
the following manner : 

Fill the barn (placing the hangers about five inches apart) and hang your 
2 T 



18 

iheniiometer on one of the lower tiers, near the center. Start your fires so as 
to produce a uniform heat of about ninety degrees, Fahrenheit, and continue 
this temperature until the tobacco becomes sufficiently yellow. 

No exact time can be given for yellowing, as tobacco which contains a 
superabundance of sap, or is very large, requires more time than that which is 
smaller or has less sap. 

An ordinary crop will re(}uire from twenty-four to thirty-six hours. Do not 
allow it to become real bfii:;ht yclhnu before raising the heat, as it continues to 
yellow for several hours after. 

'Sow v:i\'iQ \.\\t\\tci\. three dci^recs per hour \.\ni\\ you arrive at a temperature 
of one hundred and ten degrees, and remain at this point until the ends of the 
leaves curl slightly; after which continue to advance at the same rate as before 
{three degrees per hour) until you arrive at one hundred and twenty. To pre- 
vent "sweating" during this time, the j-^yt'^/ plan that can be adopted is to 
heep the door open It is not necessary to keep it wide open, though there is 
no objection to its remaining so, except that it requires more fuel to secure the 
heat desired. At the beginning of the season, in curing the first tobacco in 
each barn, or in curing heavy or green tobacco, this plan should invariably be 
adopted, otherwise the dampness will endanger its injury from sweating. 

Having arrived at one hundred and twenty, the door should now be closed ; 
and, under favorable circumstances, may be closed at the start, but must be 
opened often while advancing from ninety-five to one hundred and ten degrees. 

If sweating commences (which may be known by the leaves becoming damp 
and pliable) raise the heat and open the door, for the purpose of creating a 
current of hot air, which will soon cause it to disappear. 

The kaf should now be cured before arriving at a temperature of one 
hundred and thirty ; therefore advance only at the rate of tioo degrees per hour 
for the next five hours. Then, in curing the stem, raise the heat five degrees 
per hour until you arrive at a temperature of from one hundred and sixty-five 
to one hundred and seventy-five degrees. By this time the stems should be 
thoroughly cured; but if not, go no higher, but continue the heat, at the high- 
est point reached, until they are. 

We condense the instructions for regulating the heat in the form of a taljle 
ior reference : 

Remain at 90° until sufficiently yellow. 
Advance from 90° to 120°, 3° per hour. 

.. '• " 120° " 130°, 2° " " 

- 130° " 165°, or 175. 5° " " 



19 

Usually the leaves begin to curl at the ends by the time one hundred and 
ten is reached, which makes it unnecessary to stop at this point. 

This table is simple, and as reliable as any that can be given. There are 
cases when crops are not in ordinary condition ; then no table can be followed 
successfully. If you see the face side of the leaves turning a reddish-brown 
color, the heat must be increased a little; while, on the other hand, if they 
begin to show reddish spots near the edges and on both sides, you have too 
much heat. While advancing from one hundred and twenty to one hundred 
and thirty (in curing the leaf) care must be taken that you do not lower the 
temperature below the highest point reached. Never go above one hundred 
and eighty degrees, unless you desire to scorch your tobacco; which, some 
claim, improves the flavor, though it injures the color. In curing with char.- 
coal, a barn i6 by i6 will require nine fires; one i8 by i8, twelve fires, and one 
20 by 20, sixteen fires, so arranged as to distribute the heat evenly. If the wind 
should blow heavily against one side of the barn, raise the fires on that side a 
little above the others, and thus partially counteract its effect. 

After curing, close the barn tightly in order to keep the tobacco dry. 

CURING SHIPPING TOP.ACCO. 

Let it remain in the barn or on the scaffold for three or four days, or until 
it begins to yellow ; then make slow fires of logs, so arranged as to blaze but 
little. Care should be taken that the tobacco does not sweat from too much 
heat ; but if it should, proceed as with bright wrappers. 

" Houseburn" is rot, caused by heating the tobacco by overcrowding. 

If it should heat before firing, start the fires at once. After the leaves are 
well dried, increase the heat until the stems are cured, providing you do not 
go above a temperature of one hundred and seventy-five degrees in so doing. 
The dark, heavy shipping tobacco is cured by firing immediately after it is 
housed. 

SUN-CURING. 

This requires an abundance of scaffolds and well-ventilated houses. The 
latter can be made of any desired length, but only as wide as will give free 
ventilation. The scaffold should be on the side giving most shelter from the 
winds, while it secures the full heat of the sun ; and near the house, that the 
tobacco may be readily transferred from one to the other. The best results 
are obtained when the temperature is from sixty-five to seventy-five degrees, 
with a certain degree of moisture in the atmosphere. When the tobacco is in 
the scaffolds, protect it from the winds. If you have a very hot, dry day, which 
will cure it too rapidly to produce the desired color, close up the hangers on 
the scaffold, and it will have a tendency to "slow" the process. Four or five 



20 

days is enough on the scaftbkl; then put it into n lucll-lightcd and well- 
ventilated house, where it should be kept and thorouglily cured by opening 
the doors and windows whenever the weather is favorable. After it is cured, 
close up the house and let the tobacco remain until you are ready to assort it. 

AIR-CURING. 

In air-curing, house your tobacco immediately after gathering; and during 
favorable weather, open your doors and ventilators that the air may circulate 
freely. It is necessary to exclude the rain and dampness, which materially 
damage the tobacco and injure its color. After it is nearly cured, do not give 
it full ventilation during the prevalence of high winds; a stove is very useful in 
preventing too much dampness, in case of continued wet weather. 

SWEATING, OR FERMENTING. 

Cigar tobacco is subjected to a process of fermentation called " sweating," 
which should be carefully conducted, for on this depends the color, and, in a 
large degree, the flavor of the tobacco. Place it in heaps about six feet in 
diameter, and cover them with blankets or anything that will press lightly and 
exclude the air. In about twenty-fourhours, it will commence to ferment; and 
when it becomes so hot inside that the hand cannot well bear it, break up the 
heaps and repack, placing the heated tobacco on the outside, and again cover 
with cloths. Repeat until all the heat is gone, which generally takes from five 
to six weeks. 

ASSORTING. 

The variety of tobacco grown, and the market for which it is intended, must 
largely govern the planter during this operation. It should be performed when 
the leaves are moist enough to handle without being injured. The usual cus- 
tom is to make but three grades, which are distinguished by different names, 
such as first, second, and third qualities, manufacturing, shipping, and lugs, or 
bright, medium, and dull. 

These grades or qualities are principally composed of ripe, overripe, and un- 
ripe leaves at the time of gathering. 

If you tie it in bundles or "hands," (which we believe to be work thrown 
away, besides injuring one of the best leaves in each bundle,) form them with 
from six to ten leaves each, of uniform length and color. 

BULKING. 

If your house has a ground-floor, either lay down boards or build raised 
platforms three or four feet in width, and construct perpendicular ends or bulk- 
heads, to keep the tobacco in position. Commence at one end, and after 



21 

straightening out the tobacco, lay a row on one side the full length of the plat- 
form, with the stems cut and evenly arranged. Then lay a row on the oppo- 
site side, allowing the ends of the leaves to lap over those of the first row about 
five inches, and so continue to pack closely. Place boards and weights on top 
of the bulk, Icavin^^ the sides open. This will keep the leaves moist, and at the 
same time allow the stems to become dry enough for packing. AVhile in bulk, 
examine it occasionally, and if it should heat, or not dry sufticiently, overhaul 
and repack it loosely, without weighting the top. 

PACKING. 

When the large or heavy portion of the stem becomes dry enough to break 
easily, (with the leaf yet soft and pliable,) the tobacco is in proper condition 
for packmg. If any portion of it is too soft or has an ill smell, it should be 
made sweet and dry by a few hours' sun. 

If it has to be shipped a great distance, we would recommend packing in 
hogsheads, placing each layer across the one below it. Tobacco of fine quality 
should not be pressed too hard, as it will surely be injured thereby. 

CO.MPARATIVE STATEMENTS. 

In order to show more clearly the advantages gained by using the patent 
hanger, we make the following comparative statements of the two methods of 
gathering and curing ; and though they only apply to one section of the coun- 
try, as far as prices of labor and coal are concerned, yet the percentage saved 
will be nearly the same in all cases. Consequently, the amount saved will be 
greater in sections where labor and fuel are more expensive. A barn i6 by i6 
will contain tw^o thousand pounds of tobacco on the Shelton hangers, and can 
be cured with one hundred bushels of coal in two days or less, while to cure 
the same quantity on the stalk requires four barns, or four curings in one barn 
of three days each, which will consume at least one hundred bushels of coal at 
each curing, or four hundred bushels in all, and require the attention of a man 
for twelve days and nights. 

COST OF GATHERING AND CURING ON SHELTON HANGER. 

To gather and cure one barn, containing two thousand pounds after curing, 
requires — 

Gatliering. 

3 men one day, 'S) 75 cents $2 25 

1 7 women and children, Qi 40 cents 6 80 



22 

Curing. 

I man two days and nights, 'S) 75 cents each $3 00 

100 bushels charcoal, ® 5 cents 5 00 

Total 17 05 

CURING ON THE STALK. 

To cure 2,000 pounds by the old process will require four barns, and the 
cost will be as follows : 

Gathering. 

24 men one day '«) 75 cents, (to fill four barns) $18 00 

Curing. 

4 men three days and nights ® 75 cents each iS 00 

400 bushels charcoal, (100 at each barn.) 'a) 5 cents 20 00 

Total 56 00 

Cost of curing on patent hanger 17 05 

Difference in cost of curing 2,000 pounds 38 95 

By using the patent hanger you can save from sixty-five to seventy per cent. 
of the usual cost of gathering and curing your crop, besides increasing its 
value from cigJit to ten per cent., by producing a more uniform cjlor, improving 
the texture, and increasing the weight. There are other advantages to be 
derived from its use, all of which will become apparent to those who try it. 
For instance, the cost of hauling the green stalks from the field to the barn is 
wholly avoided. This is no small it-em, and, had it been included in the cost 
of gathering by the old process, would have made a still greater difference in 
favor of the hanger. However, we do not claim to save all the expense of 
gathering and curing a crop. 

COAL AND AIR CURING. 

Growers of tobacco in nearly all parts of the country (except New England ) 
who have formerly practiced air-curing, are gradually adopting the quicker 
and more profitable method of curing in two or three days by artificial heat. 
By the latter mode of curing, tobacco is much improved in body, texture, and 
color. Even in the New England States we find that air-curing does not fully 
answer their requirements. At a recent meeting of the Connecticut Valley 



23 

Agricultural Institute, Professor Stockbridge, of Amherst College, in speaking 
of air-curing, said : " The curing process is defective ; by the slow, gradual 
process, much of the essential narcotic oil is lost." He also referred to " a new 
system of curing, largely adopted in other States," and said: "This artificial 
curing retains all the virtue of the tobacco; in fact, increases its essential oils." 

EXPERIMENT IN WEIGHT. 

We now give you the actual result of an experiment made during the past 
season, for the express purpose of deciding this question : Do'es tobacco cured 
off the stalk lose or gain in weight?" Some contended that it would lose, 
others that it would gain; while a majority of those who expressed their 
opinion on the subject thought it would make no difference in the weight, 
whether cured on or off the stalk. Although convinced by the laws of nature 
that it must necessarily gain, we only claimed, previous to making this experi- 
ment, that it lost nothing. It is evident that each leaf, either in dying or dry- 
ing, feeds back a large portion of its substance through the same channels 
that supplied it. The most casual observer of nature cannot have failed to 
notice this foct. The grass, the weeds, the corn, and every tree, shrub, or 
plant, asserts it in the most unmistakable manner. Tobacco cannot be 
exempt from this law of nature. 

The fine or thin portions of the leaf are the first to cure ; next the suiall and 
laro;c fibers; and lastly the stem. 

When cured on the stalk, the stalk is the last to cure, and much of that 
v/hich is necessary to give the leaf ''body" is forced back into the stalk, 
causing it to weigh more and the leaf less. 

Again, in curing by artificial heat, the longer time tobacco is '• fired," or 
subjected to heat, after the leaf is cured, the less it will weigh ; therefore, in 
firing, the extra time required to cure the stalk, you are lessening the weight 
of the leaves. In making this test, two hundred average-size plants were 
selected, divided into two lots of one hundred each, and weighed. Lot No. i 
weighed 231 pounds 3 ounces; No. 2, 222 pounds 13 ounces. The leaves 
were stripped from lot No. i, and cured on the Shelton hangers, and the stalks 
were cured separately. Lot No. 2 was cured on tlie stalks, with the following 
results : 

CURED ON SHELTON HANGERS. 

\\'eight of ICO plants before curing 231 lbs. 3 oz. 

^Veight of leaves and stalks after curing 38 lbs. 13 oz. 

Shrinkage in curing 192 lbs. 6 oz. 

Weight of stalks after curing 13 lbs. 6 oz. 

^^'eight of leaves after curing 25 lbs. 7 oz. 



24 

CURED ON STALKS. 

Weight of loo plants before curing 222 ibs. 13 oz. 

Weight of leaves and stalks after curing 37 lbs. 10 oz. 

Shrinkage in curing 185 lbs. 3 oz. 

Weight of stalks after curing 15 lbs. 5 oz. 

Weight of leaves after curing 22 lbs. 5 oz. 

Thus you will notice a difference of 3 pounds 2 ounces in favor of lot No. 
I, cured on our patent hangers. In reply, you will naturally say that this lot 
weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces more than No. 2 before curing, which is very true ; 
but we find, by dividing the weight of the green plants (231 pounds 3 ounces) 
l)y the number of pounds of cured leaves (25 pounds 7 ounces) that it re- 
(juired 9 pounds I'J ounces of green plants to produce one pound of cured 
leaves; and .shows that the ditterence in the two lots of green tobacco (8 
pounds 6 ounces) was not sufficient to produce a pound of cured leaves; 
though, allowing it had been, there is yet a difference of 2 pounds 2 ounces in 
our favor, or a gai/i. of more than ei'ght per cent, in iveight over the old method 
of curing. 

Any farmer can easily make a similar test and satisfy himself as to the truth 
of this statement. In making an experiment of this kind, if you cure by 
artificial heat, and botli lots in one barn at the same time, do not forget to re- 
move that on the hangers after it is cured, instead of allowing it to remain 
while the stalks of the other lot are curinc;. 



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